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[Treefox]

didn't get much done yesterday since about the time I was going to sit down to work on the calendar, So Cal was experiencing a massive wind storm that knocked out power in my area for quite a while - and had flickering power even after that.

It seems to be pretty bad! Please be careful, Windrider.

[joselle]

Yeah...there was a downed power line RIGHT in front of my office in Venice. And a couple of my co-workers haven't had power in their homes since mid Wed.

[Treefox]

But you still had power? I hope it will calm down soon. No power since Wednesday? That's tough!

[Windrider]

Aaaargghhh!  This is a mind boggling exercise trying to get all these pieces to fit together for three balanced calendars. 

Please, if you have signed up for some characters but haven't submitted anything yet, PLEASE let me know if you are just late or if you don't plan to submit anything at all.  That way I can plan ahead, otherwise it is just frustrating.

If you are still working on three characters and haven't submitted even one yet, concentrate on one and get it to me as soon as you can.  I am trying to put one entry from each artist in each calendar and you guys are botching my plans!  

I have reliable power now, at least.  And I think I sort of have the pinups for 2012 sorted out.  Still need another Human, Wavedancers and High Ones are a bit light, some core Wolfriders are missing, but let me hand it to the Go-Backs.  They are nicely balanced in all three calendars and I think everyone but Zey is represented!

[Startear]

They are nicely balanced in all three calendars and I think everyone but Zey is represented!

 :'(  :'(  :'(  :'(

[Windrider]

Oh, I'm not saying Zey won't be in one of the calendars, only that I haven't got a report on his progress yet.  Still, impressive run from the Go-Backs!

Here's another report:  I was going to keep this a little secret, but I don't think it will work unless I make it public.  Since the calendar planner grids are not pre-made, we hope to include some "bonus" art on the grid pages.  Heck, if we have to make them ourselves, we figured why not!

If you have pinups that are having problems... say, only two of the three poses are acceptable to you, don't just give up and not turn them in.  Send the acceptable poses to me anyway and they'll be included as bonus art on the grids.

I may be approaching members here to ask if I can use art in their galleries as bonus art.  If you want to save me time, you can let me know when you hand in your pin-ups that you would or wouldn't mind me grabbing some of your other art for the calender.

[Treefox]

Oh man, I see so many cool characters being available again... Please feel free to give me any character if you think that the character should make it into the calendar. I would try to make the last deadline.

[branchscamper]

Thank you Startear    It makes me so excited to see the artwork that everyone has worked hard on!

Tyleet is coming at a plipplop rate but I am determined to meet the Dec 10th deadline.  My main problem is that most of the positions I think are great for her I noticed Wendy already has done in her official art    So I'm pushing my mind to the limit to come up with something unique.  I will do it!

And I am willing to draw more if you need anything  

I hope everyone is doing well after that crazy wind storm!  We were supposed to get some, but it rained and now we're getting record cold temps.  It's crazy!  I'm actually wearing a sweater *lol*

[Emberra]

Both Tyleet and Dart are in sketch format right now. Gotta scan 'em then do the rest of the work there I should get everything done.^^

[Windrider]

Oh I forgot to post when we went past the amount of art needed for two years.  We did last week!  And that is the art that has been turned in, not counting that I have WIPs and progress reports on many others.

Even with the promised art, we are still around 12-15 short for 2014.  I'm going to give them a couple more days, but if I haven't heard from missing artists by then, I am going to start reassigning characters.  I have a quite few of you on standby waiting to draw characters who otherwise would not be in the calendar because their first artists didn't come through for us.  Drop me a PM if you want to be on standby.

[Tevokkia]

Still working on the colors for Willowgreen- normally this is the fast part for me (compared to inking), but it's just not going as well as I had hoped. I'm thinking it's because I'm not as fond of my skin palette as I could be ...

[jaRf]

Windrider got pm, still progressing but RL is a hell of business right now. Typical for University short before the end of the year. Normally I "fall out of" work on 23rd and realize that next day is xmas.
But then Skimback is rather close to being finished and I hope Rayek will do so also. I'll take a free day for it.

[Czarine]

 Despite being late from the original DL, Treestump is almost ready. There's only the action pose left, and it's already in the colouring phase.

...Has anyone else had problems with their character looking so... alluring that they distract you while you're drawing them?? 

[silentleaf]

I dont know about anyone else. But my favorite thing about this project is seeing my much i am learning from one image to the next. I am so looking forward to seeing what everyone has created. BTW Windrider your welcome to use any images I have.

Cheers to all

[Windrider]

The "untaken" list in reply #3 on this thread has been revised.

I am less concerned if obscure High Ones and Wavedancers have a full pinup, although it would be awesome if someone will draw just sexy poses or portraits of these so they can be at least included in the bonus grid art.

However, we really need someone to draw more major characters like Windkin, Wing, Zey, Krill and, even if he is a challenge, Sun Toucher.  Spray and Sefra are also too beautiful not to be drawn.  Dart really needs a second artist to draw his early Jackwolfrider stage, especially as Joyrider is not sure she can get her Searcher Dart finished.

...Has anyone else had problems with their character looking so... alluring that they distract you while you're drawing them?? 

    This reminds me of one of my illustration mentors from my days as an art student.  He always said it was a common mistake to draw a figure's eyes too early on in the drawing.  Because once the eyes are detailed, the artist inevitably starts to have a relationship with the figure they are drawing, like you are thinking "Oh, I see you and will save you from the paper you are trapped in!"  Then you are too invested to just scrap the drawing and start over when it isn't working.  Ha ha, Dick was one of the only geniuses I've had the privilege to train under, but he was sure an odd person with ideas that made you go "hmm.."

[jaRf]

Yes, but eyes make something very much more alive looking. But then there might be a lot of biological-neurological key patterns that make us recognize the scribbles on paper or monitor as something possibly alive and our brain reacts all the time.

Things being alluring, yes, of course. Regardless which sex you draw and your "orientation" since you probably aim to make things alluring for a pinup you are supposed to be distracted by your own work.

[Afke]

I'm one to draw the eyes very late. And if not the outline, then the pupil will be added in one of the last stages. Guess that's why I don't scrap many sketches. I find eyebrows to be a more important part during sketching and getting the "feeling" of the image than eyes.

[Tevokkia]

I'm really not going to have the time to do full characters, as I'm having to leave town this weekend and will be gone for a full week, but I'll try to get some single or double pose grid  pieces done once my current guys are colored (Willowgreen is coming along much better now). You have a preference between pinup, portrait, or action, for those?

[Startear]

Hm, I was always taught to draw the eyes as soon as one had the basic shape of the head.

But yeah, i too had problems with alluring with Bowki. Part of it is because of Blair's art... and because I see him as mostly a cute kid. Everytime I started drawing, it either looked like a complete stranger or a little boy.

[Eregyrn]

I'm with you, Afke.   I put eye-shapes in early, but often refine them very late in the process; and don't fill in pupils until close to the end of the sketching stage.  And yeah, eyebrows are really important to me. 

[Jeb]

"Then you are too invested to just scrap the drawing and start over when it isn't working."

I don't think that's unique to eyes, though. I've often felt that way about a foot, or leg, or hand, and I find myself erasing the rest of the drawing to accommodate that part I like.

[Icebird]

I am less concerned if obscure High Ones and Wavedancers have a full pinup, although it would be awesome if someone will draw just sexy poses or portraits of these so they can be at least included in the bonus grid art.

Would these extra pieces require colours as well? I'm thinking I may be able to hit the deadline for the last calendar, but I just can't be sure

[Windrider]

The bonus art on the grids may be either B&W or color.  Full figure poses should be fairly vertical so they don't take too much of the grid.  Portraits with simple or non-existent backgrounds are also nice for this.  I've searched the galleries and there aren't many existing High Ones and Waverdancer studies.

[branchscamper]

I thought the eye thing was only me XD  I always leave them till last because I swear they are watching me and critique my art.  But it's always hard to see how the finish project looks without the eyes.  To me hair and eyes make or break the artwork. 

I have the rest of the day off so I am going to work on some art =D

[Icebird]

The bonus art on the grids may be either B&W or color.  Full figure poses should be fairly vertical so they don't take too much of the grid.  Portraits with simple or non-existent backgrounds are also nice for this.  I've searched the galleries and there aren't many existing High Ones and Waverdancer studies.

In that case I'd like to try help with some portraits - can I snatch Adya for now?